Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke)

Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) is the founder and director of the Light of the Spirit Monastery (Atma Jyoti Ashram) in Cedar Crest, NM, USA.

In his many pilgrimages to India, he had the opportunity of meeting some of India’s greatest spiritual figures, including Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh and Anandamayi Ma. During his first trip to India he was given sannyas by Swami Vidyananda Giri, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, who had himself been given sannyas by the Shankaracharya of Puri, Jagadguru Bharat Krishna Tirtha.

In the United States he also encountered various Christian saints, including Saint John Maximovich of San Francisco and Saint Philaret Voznesensky of New York.

For many years, Swami Nirmalananda has been engaged in deep study of the spiritual unity (actual identity) of Jesus Christ and his teachings with India and Sanatana Dharma. It is his conviction that original Christianity (not contemporary “Churchianity”) and original Yoga are not just compatible, they are essentially one; that Jesus lived in India for most of his life, being a Sanatana Dharma missionary to the West, and that after his resurrection he returned to India and lived the rest of his life in the Himalayas.

He has written extensively on these and other topics, many of which are posted here at OCOY.org. Of major significance are: The Christ of India, Soham Yoga: Its Theory and Practice, The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening and his various commentaries on spiritual texts which you can explore in the Dharma for Awakening section.

Most of his writings available here at OCOY.org are also available in print and ebook formats at Amazon and other online book outlets.

Winning the Prize of Life

A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas Jesus said, Blessed is the man who has suffered and found life. (Gospel of Thomas 58) Considering how consistently esoteric the viewpoint of the Gospel of Thomas is, I feel we can be assured that this is not … Continue reading

Seven Ways to Purify the Mind, Part 2

Sutras 36 through 39 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Sutra 1:36. Also (through) serene [vishoka] or luminous [jyotishmati] (states experienced within). Vishoka means “blissful; serene; free of grief, suffering or sorrow.” Jyotishmati means “effulgence; full of light.” Inner experience of a higher … Continue reading

7 Ways to Purify the Mind, Part 1

Sutras 33 through 35 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Sutra 1:33. The mind becomes clarified by cultivating attitudes of friendliness [maitri], compassion [karuna], gladness [mudita] and indifference [upekshanam] respectively towards happiness [sukha], misery [dukha], virtue [punya] and vice [apunya]. Maitri is friendliness; … Continue reading

The Simple Yoga Method of Removing Mental Pain and Depression

Sutras 31 and 32 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Sutra 1:31. (Mental) pain [dukha], despair [daurmanasya], nervousness [angamejayatva] and hard breathing [shvasa-prashvasa] are the symptoms of a distracted condition of mind [vikshepa-sahabhuvah]. Dukha is pain; suffering; misery; sorrow; grief; unhappiness; stress; … Continue reading

How to Enter the Kingdom

A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to his disciples, These infants being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom. They said to him, Shall we then, as children, enter the kingdom? Jesus said to them, When … Continue reading

Om, the God-Word

Sutras 27 through 30 of Book One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 27. His designator [vachaka] is ‘Om’ [Pranava]. Usually, vachaka means that which is denoted by speech, in this case meaning that Ishwara is designated by the Pranava–by the sacred syllable OM. But … Continue reading

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